An Inquiry
by Jacob Needleman
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2007
304 pages
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment
Publication Information
The widely respected social philosopher embarks on his most gripping and broadly appealing work, asking the ultimate question of human nature: Why do we repeatedly violate our most deeply held values and beliefs? For all our therapies, resolutions, self-help programs, and the vast religious and ethical literature available to men and women today, we return again and again to the same limiting and predictable behaviors, vowing to do better "next time." And far beyond the travails of our everyday existence - although sometimes intruding upon it with a ghastly shock - we witness a world twisted in conflict and warfare in which religious systems are continually used to justify slaughter. For sensitive people everywhere, the question resounds: Why can't we be good?
Though Needleman's answer to this age-old question about goodness is no more satisfying or original than any other, his lively prose, storytelling skills and lucid insights draw us into an animated conversation with a brilliant teacher." - PW.
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